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Go Ahead, Touch the Screen

It made me feel so naughty. It is so ingrained in me to not touch an LCD screen for fear of marring the surface that using the new HP Touchsmart PC made me feel like I was breaking the rules. That feeling subsided quickly.

The HP Touchsmart PC is the latest all-in-one computer system to hit the market. Much like the Apple iMac, Dell XPS One and Gateway One, the HP Touchsmart PC incorporates the entire computer into the monitor housing. No need for a separate CPU cluttering your desk or floor, this class of computer is a dream for those with limited space.

What separates the Touchsmart PC from the competition is the inclusion of a 22″ touchscreen monitor. As tablet laptops have done for years, the Touchsmart PC allows you to interact directly with objects on the screen. Better than a tablet laptop, though, since it was designed to be used with your fingers instead of a stylus.

The similarities between the Touchsmart PC and a laptop computer go well beyond just the touchscreen technology. Looking at the specifications [Read more...]

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The Secret to Blog Success: YEO, You Engaging Others

Yes, the title gives it away! The secret to your blog success is YEO. YEO, a now popular term used by bloggers (coined by Jeff Turner) to describe the process of building your network and facilitating blog success via YOU ENGAGING OTHERS.  I’m not even going to mention the other term that makes us sweat, and also has an “e” and “o” in it. That aside, what have you done lately to reach outside your real estate blog? Have you employed tools or strategies to keep your readers enticed to come back for more great information? What about making your blog more [Read more...]

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External Factors Affecting Your Blog Success

I used to teach my first graders a really fun game to learn about how plants grow. Each student would get a laminated “secret identity card” (sun, soil, water, air, seed). The seeds (excitable first graders) would travel through the air (run from one side of the blacktop top the other) looking for the elements (other excitable first graders) needed for their growth. But the elements were not so easy to acquire. [Read more...]

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Internal Factors Affecting Your Blog Success

Last week I talked about the importance of assessing your real estate blog. Whether you have room for improvement or just need to boost your already prospering success, tweaking your blog is a process that should continue throughout its life on the Web. Today, we’ll look at the internal factors affecting your blog success, as well as support tools.

(1) Speak to your target audience

Identifying your target audience hopefully occurred for you during the conceptualization of your blog. Now that you’re up and running, is your blog geared up to attract new niche readers?  By that I mean, are you including a variety of [Read more...]

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Your Edge in Real Estate is Getting Sharper

If you’ve been clamoring for an up to the minute mortgage rate widget for your real estate blog….it’s time to dry your eyes and head over to Zillow.  There you’ll find four brand new Mortgage Rate Widgets that you can freely leverage for your own blog.  If you’re looking to foster greater online interaction via your blog community and provide readers with a knowledgeable tool, this may be just what you need. Not only are these widgets radiating rates…but they look nice too!

If you thought the Mortgage Rate Widget was the only new candy in Zillow’s goodie bag, it’s time to reach in for a second helping. Did you feel that? It’s Zillow’s FREE co-branding! With it, your blog readers will have access to Zillow tools and features while being reminded who sent them there in the first place.  With Zillow’s co-branding individuals or companies can utilize this free service just by adding any of the following to their blog or Website: individual Zillow URLs, mortgage rate widgets, links generated by the Zillow API, new profile badges.

Here’s how it works:

Before you can take advantage of Zillow’s free co-branding, you need to take care of the following: (1) sign up for a Zillow account, (2) add a Zillow URL to your blog or Website and (3) include the following code at the end of your Zillow link “/?scrnnm=YourZillowScreenName”. Then, when readers select the Zillow URL on your blog and a new Zillow page opens, you’re picture, contact information and link to your Website will appear at the top of that page.  Wherever your blog reader travels on Zillow during that session, your branding will follow too. Click here to learn more about Zillow Co-Branding.

In this market, any edge, ledge, step stool or leg up you can get to boost your blog community and market freely to your target audience is worth checking out. And if you’d like to get up close and personal with the Zillow team AND you’re planning to go to REBarCamp and the Inman Connect, you won’t want to miss Beer with Bloggers. The venue is Café Du Nord (from 6-8pm), which just happens to be right above REBarCamp on July 22, 2008. See you there!

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“Does my blog REally rock?” An Assessment for Serious Real Estate Bloggers

Have you taken a good look around your real estate blog lately?  Would you like to gain more traffic?  And, reach each your target audience, for real? If you are serious about your blog, then you should be serious about taking new steps and exploring innovative options to boost your blog success. Don’t let your blog take a back seat to 2.0!

MTO is gearing up for the Inman Connect SF. In fact, I’ve been invited to speak on the Blogger’s Connect panel entitled, “Growing Pains: Taking Your Blog to the Next Level“, alongside these A-list rockin’ real estate blog experts Dustin Luther, Jim Cronin, and Daniel Rothamel.  The RE 2.0 guru himself will be there as moderator, yes, you know him….Jeff Turner.  So over the next few weeks, I’ll be sharing tools and suggestions for taking that next level leap. But of course I’ll be leaving the meatiest of it all for those of you attending the Connect. So, I hope to see you there!

Anyway, our blogucation cannot begin without a self assessment, a blog assessment really. The best teachers assess at the beginning and the end of an assignment or goal. How else will you know if you made any real strides? To start, you will notice that the following assessment is organized in 2 sections, Internal Factors and External Factors.  To examine your blog best, you should focus on these 2 areas.

Internal Factors are actions, tools, and strategies you put into play on your blog to give it life, display your expertise and target your audience. These may include your voice, design, blog posts, organization, comments, etc.  External Factors are actions, tools, and strategies you use to reach outside of your blog, create interaction, and hopefully bring readers back to you.  These may include, but not limited to: IDX Search, email newsletters, commenting, podcasting, video, social networking, etc.

Take the “Does my blog REally rock?” Assessment (Directions: Print this article, read each question, and write your yes or no answer next to each one. If you’re old school, grab a piece of paper and number 1-6 twice, then write down your answers. Keep your eyes on your own paper. ) [Read more...]

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Save Money on Your Electric Bill

My computer speakers are always on, whether being used or not. This is because the manufacturer failed to add a power button. Since climbing under my desk to plug or unplug them is unrealistic, the speakers remain on all the time.

This lack of ability to power down isn’t uncommon with technology. Many scanners, printers, external hard drives and speakers are very difficult to shut them off.

The push for being green and the need to save money in this real estate market calls for a [Read more...]